The Right Choice
by RussianGoddess
Summary: After HBP. Harry struggles to bring peace to the Wizarding World. At the same time, Draco rethinks his father's way of life. Will either them succeed? Will light shine again?
1. Beginnings of the Journeys

**A/N: This takes place right after the sixth book and has nothing to do with my other fanfictions Battle Between Heart and Mind, and The Pendant Glows Again. Hope you enjoy it. Tell me your thoughts.**

**Please review.**

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It was a dismal June morning. A cold wind blew down Privet Drive. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley and their pig of a son Dudley were sitting at the breakfast table. Life was different now as Harry moved out that spring. He didn't give much explanation to the sudden turn of events. The three Muggles were somewhat aware that Harry was going into his last year and that he would be moving out next year, but their nephew came home earlier than expected. Harry entered the house as though being a storm. He quickly ran up the stairs. Vernon tried to interpose with a word or two, as the three stared at the huge school trunk by the entry. Harry came downstairs moments later to find Hermione and Ron at the entry; Ron glaring at Dudley, and Hermione trying to be polite.

"I'm ready," said Harry darkly. He stuffed some things in his trunk and then closed it shut. Hedwig was sitting on Ron's shoulder and her cage was in his hand.

Harry pocketed his wand and turned to his Aunt and Uncle. "Er… thank you for taking me in and I will no longer be a burden. Let's hope we'll see each other again." The Dursleys nodded slowly and then watched how the three disappeared down the street and out of sight.

"Grimauld?" asked Hermione.

Harry didn't answer and kept walking. His thoughts were in a jumble right now, but the only thing that was clear to him was this, _the locket…the cup…the snake…something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's… the locket…the cup…the snake…something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's…_The cold wind beat against his face and his hair flew back, revealing the lightning-bold scar. Ron and Hermione didn't press him and Harry answered a few minutes later, "Yes." They located a port-key and then appeared outside of the building. There they found the Order of the Phoenix.

"We thought it would be fine with you, if we used this location one last time," said McGonagall grimly.

Harry nodded and set his truck down. He did not join in the meeting and just lay down in his new bedroom and fell asleep. Hermione and Ron would fill him in later. But, it probably all the usual. They would be briefly talking about Dumbledore's death and the effects that would have on the future. Damn it. He already knew all the causes and effects of that death. And the Horcruxes… there's not much to say about them. He has to find them, destroy them, kill Voldemort. period. He awoke later that evening and found Ron and Hermione downstairs drinking something and whispering. Hermione quickly shushed Ron as he came downstairs. Harry stopped in the middle of the staircase as he saw the action and asked, "What?"

Hermione and Ron exchanged glances. Hermione then slowly and carefully began to speak, "Harry, you woke up."

"Yes…" said the other slowly and finished his descent.

Hermione waited for him to sit down and then continued, "Ron and I talked and we came upon a decision."

She waited for any reaction, but Harry seemed like an empty shell, waiting for the words.

"We think it would be better if you went to live at the Burrow."

"And what's the point of that?" snapped Harry, not able to control himself.

Ron swallowed and said, "Because Bellatrix and the rest of the Death Eaters might come here."

Harry took in a deep breath, cooling his anger. He replied in an even voice, "You might be right, but I do not want to endanger your family. No, I will stay here. If they come, let them. I will probably be out most of the time."

"But, Harry," began Hermione, but she was cut off.

"No, I have my mind made up. I will go to any measure to destroy Voldemort once and for all."

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_The night of Dumbledore's death…_

"Wait, stop!" yelled Draco, causing Snape to halt.

The man turned sharply around to face the young Malfoy; his expression cold.

Draco caught his breath, at the same time yanking his hand out of Snape's grasp. "Why? Why didn't you let me kill him?"

Snape raised his head and looked down at Draco, "Because you faltered, Draco and I made a promise to your mother."

Draco looked sharply at him out of the corner of his eyes.

Snape continued, "If you wouldn't be able to fulfill your task, then I would step in and finish it for you. And…"

"And?"

"the consequence would be death."

Draco stared angrily at the man before him and then looked down, unable to match the strong gaze.

"Listen, Draco," whispered Snape taking a step closer to him. "You will have to appear before the Dark Lord and you have to play your cards right, so you won't have to suffer death. All of the Death Eaters will be present along with your mother."

Draco glanced at Snape at the mention of his mother.

"She will plead for you and there might be the possibility that His Lordship will ki…"

Snape was cut off as they were joined by the other Death Eaters. "What are you doing? Let's go, the Dark Lord is waiting."

Snape straightened himself and they immediately set off; Draco pulled along. He was anxious and fearful for himself and his mother. In some time they arrived at a dark castle. In some time, they were all standing in a large circular room. It was all in black and white. The floor checkered and the wall with pillars and painting of scenes of pain and suffering. The whole room was made of marble. A magnificent gold throne stood at one end of the room and Voldemort occupied it. The walls were lined with Death Eaters; all unmasked. To the right of Voldemort stood Lucius, his face displeased. In the middle of the grand floor stood Draco. His back was straight, head bowed and hands at his sides. The events were explained to Voldemort and the other was now passing sentence.

"You have failed me Draco," said the Dark Lord in a chilling voice.

Draco shivered and as his heart gave a tremble, Voldemort continued, "I can not have anyone as such among my people. There is only one punishment I think suitable." Voldemort reached into his inside pocket and pulled out his wand. He gracefully raised it, poised to say the incantation.

"Nooo!" screamed a woman, who rushed out towards Draco.

In a split second Voldemort turned and sharply said, "Avada Kedavra."

A light shot out of the end of the wand and the woman fell dead. Draco's eyes got big and his lips parted, but no sound came out. The shock of his mother killed before him stunned him to the point of no feeling. Voldemort let out an evil laugh as he saw the identity of his victim. "Let that be a lesson to all to not contradict me." He then turned his attention to Draco. A smirk spread over the wizard as he saw the effect it had on the boy. "Maybe there is hope for you yet, Malfoy. Let us see how you prove useful in the next few days. You have much to do to redeem yourself. You are now to follow your father."

Draco stared at the Dark Lord before bowing slowly. The Dark Lord spared him, but at a large price; his mother's death. Also, he had been handed over to his father. That was the worst punishment in his eyes and the Dark Lord knew that. Before following his father out of the room, Draco caught Snape's eye. He had the outmost pity in his eye and that confirmed Draco's thoughts about the next few moments.

"YOU WORTHLESS WORM," screamed Lucius, hitting Draco with his cane. "All these years of training and this is what I have to show for it?"

"Fath…" tried Draco, but he was silenced by the cane.

"Silence. You have disgraced yourself and lessened our name in the eyes of the Dark Lord. How hard was it to kill that old fool? ANSWER!"

Draco looked at his father through one eye, the other bruised to heavily. No answer ever came. That infuriated the father and Lucius screamed, "CRUCIO!"

A scream of anguish filled the hallways and Voldemort smiled as he heard them. Draco fell onto the floor, twisting on the ground from the pain. Lucius continued to increase the power of the spell, until Draco passed out from the pain. As he left the room, no compassion fell over Lucius' face.

**A/N: Please tell me what you think. This just came upon me. I have a pretty good plot planned. **


	2. Plans of Action

**A/N: Good Day. Here's the next chapter. **

**Trocle and ErikandChristine, I'm happy you are enjoying this story and hope your interest stays with me.**

**Don't forget to review.**

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"So where are we starting?" asked Ron the next morning.

"I think each of us should take on a different item and try to track it down," said Harry.

"How are we going to do that?"

Harry thought for a moment and then answered, "We should research each founder and see if there is any record of each item. Hermione you take the snake. Ron you take the cup and I will take the something of Gryffindor's."

The trio nodded and set to work, looking through some old books.

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Draco came to himself to find that he was on a cold stone floor. His body felt weak and shaky. His hand came to his forehead which he rubbed and then ran his hair through his hair. The thoughts of the night came back to him. He groaned and sat up, leaning against a bed that was in the room. There would probably be no chance of him getting something to drink, but that was the least of his problems. He had no idea what was in store for him, and the thought that he was very weak right now, didn't enhance his mood. He slowly got up and transferred himself onto the bed. Sitting on the edge of it he thought of the morning that awaited him and what could happen. After a few moments of pondering, he turned and lay down onto the bed and fell into sleep.

Next morning, Draco awoke and sat up; disregarding the soreness that spread through his body. He looked around him. The room he was a fair size, all made of stone. There were no windows, only a large wooden door opposite the bed. Part of the floor was covered with a Persian Rug. The room had a fire place that wasn't active. There were several couches, chairs, and tables in the room that gave the room an expensive look. Draco located another door in the room that brought him to a bathroom.

After taking a shower and dressing in some robes that he found in a closet, he walked back out to the bedroom. He found a letter on his bed and wondered when and how it got there.

Reading through it, he found that he would be taught by Snape each day, so he would be more advanced in his magic. There was also a list of times listed. He would receive only two meals a day; one at midday and the other at midnight.

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"Anything?" asked Harry, hopefully at lunch.

Hermione and Ron shook their heads.

"How 'bout you?" asked Ron.

"No luck either."

"But, how… I mean… could we locate everything…the…" began Hermione, trying to find the best way to broach the subject of Dumbledore.

Harry sighed and looked to the side. When he spoke, his voice was steady, "I don't know how Dumbledore did it. He showed me many memories and one showed me how the items looked like."

"That's it!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, warn us when you do that. You almost knocked over the pitcher," said Ron.

"Shut it, Ron. No, listen. We need to get a hold of those memories. He must still have them in his office…"

"… and we could look through them to see if there is some small detail we missed," picked up Harry.

"Right."

"So, you are proposing we go gallivanting into Dumbledore's office, with Merlin knows what wandering about the castle? No, thank you," said Ron and leaned back into his chair.

"Ron, we have to. Those memories are important. We must get a hold of them before anyone else does," said Hermione.

Ignoring Ron's disapproving mumblings, Harry said, "I think we should do that the day after tomorrow. That gives us time to inspect the surroundings and see if there are any Death Eaters and such."

He then stood up with his plate and placed it in the sink. There it immediately disappeared and appeared in the down-below kitchens, where it would be washed. Harry walked up to the window and looked out of it, deep in thought.

Hermione walked up to him and put her hand on his arm. "Will be ok, Harry. I mean, going back and all."

Harry didn't look at her and didn't answer her as well. She looked at him, and with a sigh went back to her research.

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"The Dark Lord has an assignment for you," said Snape the same day as the trio's conversation.

Draco looked up at Snape and awaited the orders. Was he to kill someone again? Or capture someone?

"You are to go to Hogwarts and retrieve a few things from Dumbledore's office."

Draco frowned for a moment, while Snape continued.

"You are to bring back a few memories Dumbledore has collected over the year. You must to this with great caution because some of the Staff might still be there."

"What's so important about a few memories?" asked Draco, but immediately regretted it.

Like a cat pouncing upon its pray, Snape picked Draco up by his collar and drew him out of his seat and pushed him away. "Never, Draco, and I mean never question anything told or assigned to you. The Dark Lord does not go easy about misbehavior. You will not get a simple push and you probably realized that last night. Do you understand?"

Draco nodded and Snape's eyes flashed. Draco quickly corrected himself and said, "Yes, sir."

"You have to learn much quicker, Draco, if you want to survive," said Snape. "Now, stand straighter and when before His Lordship, keep you head bowed, unless directed differently. You follow orders and do nothing else. You may not move unless you are told. Contradicting will get you a fast punishment which will likely be death. Keep your thoughts to yourself and that will give you a better chance for survival."

Draco listened to this and thoughts of reconsideration began to draw upon his mind. Was this what awaited the world? But he had no choice. He was ruled by his father and the Dark Lord. There was nothing he do against that. All he could do now is try to survive the situation he was in.


	3. Finding the Memories

**A/N: Amazing isn't it? How I find time for all of you. I have a ton of homework and I'm sitting here finishing up Ch. 3 for you. That shows you how much I love you all, so please keep reviewing, the only thing that keeps me going. **

**superspunky7- I loved your reviews. The one for Ch. 2 confirmed my plot and my theory, so thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm thinking of starting a POTO fic., but I'm not sure yet. **

**LateNiteRomance- You'll see what happens to Draco… smiles nicely It's nothing evil… **

**Don't forget to review.**

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"I talked to McGonagall yesterday about all the teachers and their jobs," said Hermione two days later. "She said that most of the teachers are packing their things and the rest have already left."

"So the castle will be safer to enter?" asked Ron and Hermione nodded.

"The school's not opening next year, is it?" asked Harry.

"No, it isn't," said Hermione. "Parents don't think it's safe anymore, especially with Dumbledore gone."

Harry stood up and the other two followed suit. "Let's go," he said quietly. "The faster we get this over with, the better."

The trio flooed to Hogwarts. They appeared in an empty classroom and immediately began to make their way to Dumbledore's office. The password had no changed since the last time Harry had been there. Slowly, the eagle made its way up and in some time, the trio was opening the door.

"Malfoy," said Harry in a venomous voice as soon as his eye caught Draco making his way to the fireplace.

Draco turned around, his face neutral, but the trio noticed that it had grown thinner and if possible, paler. "Potter," he replied, tone equal to Harry's.

"Thought you'd be dead by now," continued Harry. "Or has Voldemort grown soft?"

Draco shuddered at the mention of the Dark Lord's name, but nether the less, his voice remained calm. "I would love to enjoy and exchange formalities, Potter, but I have a job to finish."

He threw the floo powder into the fireplace and was about to step into the green flames, when he was interrupted again.

"Give us the memories," said Harry.

Draco turned his head and smirked at the trio. He took one of the vials and held it up. "Is this what you're referring to?"

The trio stood transfixed, as they saw that they in fact had lost that round. But, suddenly, the vial flew from Draco's hand and onto the floor. Draco looked at his hand, which didn't undergo any movement. His attention quickly turned to the trio, who had made a dash for the memory. With a snap of his fingers, the vial quickly returned to Draco's hand, (Snape's training actually paid off).

"See you later, Potter," and in a flash, Draco was gone.

"He's… gone," said Hermione.

"Did you two hear what he said," yelled Harry, rushing to the fireplace.

"Something like Tchato dhave," said Hermione. "You don't mean to follow him, do you?"

"No," said Harry, slightly calmer, "not yet."

"What do you mean, not yet?" asked Ron.

"When we've destroyed the final Horcrux, I will go, and I will find him. He'll be dead, Snape next, and Voldemort last.

"Harry," said Hermione softly, cautiously taking a step forward, "calm down."

"Let's go to the Burrow," said Ron after a moment of silence. "Mum will have dinner and we call all… er, think things over… clear our minds."

Silence.

"What?" asked Ron, ears turning pink.

Harry and Hermione started laughing, something they hadn't done in months. "A brain wave at last, mate," said Harry.

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"Hello, Harry, dear and Hermione, of course," Mrs. Weasley greeted warmly.

Harry smiled as the old sensation of the house took him. He and Hermione smiled and took a seat on the couch; Ron in a separate armchair.

"We're just waiting for Arthur to come home," said Molly to the three and returned to the kitchen.

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"Have you made any progress?" asked Mr. Weasley at the dinner table.

"Arthur, let them relax," scolded Molly.

Harry said, "Not much. One of our key sources were the memories that…"

"Dumbledore had shown Harry," finished Hermione as soon as Harry left off.

A silence spread over the table.

"How horrible," said Mrs. Weasley, her voice showing signs of upcoming tears, "Dumbledore, dead. It's…"

"And…" urged Arthur, before Molly could say anything else.

"We went today to the office to retrieve them, thinking that they could be of some help," said Hermione.

"But, we didn't succeed," said Harry gravely.

"What happened?" asked Ginny, speaking for the first time.

"We found that they have already been taken by…" Harry stopped trying to control his anger.

The elder Weasleys waited.

When Harry didn't continue, Hermione once again stepped in. "Malfoy."

Molly gasped and Arthur's eyes went big.

"Lucius?" asked Mr. Weasley carefully.

Ron shook his head. "No, his ferret of a son."

"That's horrible. But what does he need them for?" asked Molly.

"I'm surprised that he is even alive," said Arthur, shuddering.

"Who knows," said Harry, much calmer now. "The main thing is that he has them and they were our main source of information."

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Snape eyed Draco as the other entered the cabinet slowly. Draco advanced to the table without a word and once several feet away from it, bowed his head.

"I did as you told me," said Draco.

Snape sat up in the chair and looked Draco over. He then motioned for the items to be placed on the table in front of him. Draco took out the vials, one by one, and placed them before Snape. The other counted them and looked back at Draco, content playing behind his eyes. "The Dark Lord will be happy. You may go for now."

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"Hey, Gin, what'cha doing?" asked Ron, as he saw his sister stand in the door way with an uncertain look on her face.

She took in a deep breath and walked up to Harry, who was sitting on a couch next to Ron. She reached into her pockets and presented him with several clear glass vials full of silvery liquid.


	4. Ginny and the Memories

**A/N: Just whipped this up for all of you. Please enjoy. **

**superspunky7- No, nothing so evil as swapping the memories. See, if Draco received the false ones them he would get a severe punishment… so you'll see what I did instead.**

**LateNiteRomance- I love Draco and Snape is my favorite Professor. **

**Don't forget to review.**

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"What is this?" exclaimed Ron, snatching one of the vials from Harry.

Ginny turned to leave and said, "Something that'll help you."

Harry set down the vials and got up, following Ginny. He softly held her back by the arm and asked, "Now where did you get this?" He then noticed that part of her finger was cut and the cut appeared recent. Before he could question he received his answer.

Ginny looked at him and her hard gave a soft tremor. But ignoring it, she answered steadily, "Dumbledore's office."

Without a further word, she ran up the stairs.

"Strange, these look exactly like the ones that Malfoy got away with," said Hermione, examining one of the vials; opening one and peering inside.

"Mr. Weasley," said Harry, as Arthur made his way from the kitchen into the living room. The man halted. "May we use your Pensive for a moment?"

"Sure," said Arthur. "Idea enter your heads?"

"Something like that," answered Harry.

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"This memory is exactly like the one Dumbledore showed me," said Harry as he immerged from the small Pensive. "Except…"

"What?" asked Ron and Hermione simultaneously.

"The memory… it was a little fuzzy. I mean… the image. It wasn't as clear as it used to be."

"What do you mean the image was a little fuzzy?" asked Ron.

"It means that the image wasn't clear… distorted... indistinct, Ronald. But Harry…" said Hermione.

Ron, still trying to grasp everything, "What does disto…"

"Never mind," snapped Hermione and returned to her question. "How can that be?"

A moment's silence.

"I'll see what I can find."

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In fact, Ginny did something not just unknown to her friends, but also to the Ministry. At the dinner table, when she heard that Malfoy stole the memories, it made her blood boil. Voldemort's strengths and advantages were growing and theirs decreasing. There had to be something she could do.

After dinner, she immediately went upstairs and began to look through some textbooks. She had an idea and maybe it would work. In the past few weeks she had been working on a replicating spell and now, she had to put it to action. She flooed to Grimauld's and 'borrowed' Harry's invisibility cloak. She returned home and found that she hadn't been missed. Next part was hard. She took out her brother's Potion's Book and began to flip through it. She found the potion and groaned from the fact that it was extremely hard, but it was worth trying.

In an hour and a half, she brewed the perfect Time Potion. She bottled it and quickly cleaned her work space. Ginny knew that to use the spell was illegal, but drastic times called for drastic measures.

She took a sip of the potion and before swallowing, thought of the location, time and day she wanted to go to. After swallowing, she closed her eyes and after several seconds opened them.

She was standing in Dumbledore's empty office. Making sure that the invisibility cloak was securely fastened around her, she made her way to the Pensive. She took out her wand and pointed it at the first vial. After whispering an incantation, a copy of the vial appeared. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ginny continued with her actions. She had one vial left until she heard the roaring of flames behind her. Spinning around, Ginny saw Draco step out of the fire.

"Malfoy," said Ginny in a voice below a whisper.

Draco looked around the room cautiously and then proceeded to the cabinet. With all her will-power, Ginny brought herself from the cabinet and from the desire to kill him on the spot. She noticed that Malfoy had changed. He had grown thinner and if possible, paler. His eyes were duller than usual and had a sense of caution and fear behind them. With lament she watched as he took vial after vial; taking the last vial she was working on, last.

He then headed for the fireplace, and Ginny shifted her position again. Then, the door opened and the trio appeared.

"Malfoy," said Harry in a venomous voice as soon as his eye caught Draco making his way to the fireplace.

Draco turned around, his face neutral. "Potter," he replied, tone equal to Harry's.

"Thought you'd be dead by now," continued Harry. "Or has Voldemort grown soft?"

Draco shuddered at the mention of the Dark Lord's name, but nether the less, his voice remained calm. "I would love to enjoy and exchange formalities, Potter, but I have a job to finish."

He threw the floo powder into the fireplace and was about to step into the green flames, when he was interrupted again.

"Give us the memories," said Harry.

Draco turned his head and smirked at the trio. He took one of the vials and held it up. "Is this what you're referring to?"

Ginny took out her wand and eyed the vial, which happened to be the one she needed. The trio stood transfixed, as they saw that they in fact had lost that round. Ginny edged closer, trying to remember anything from the trio's tale. She transferred her wand to her left hand and then slowly reached for the vial with her right thumb and index finger. With a swift movement, she pulled out the vial from Draco's hand and threw it to the ground. In an instant she followed it and cast the incantation. A copy appeared and Ginny quickly hid it. But in the process, she cut her finger on the vial. She then quickly drew away as the trio made a dash for the memory. With a snap of Malfoy's fingers, the vial quickly returned to Draco's hand, (Snape's training actually paid off).

"See you later, Potter," and in a flash, Draco was gone.

"He's… gone," said Hermione.

"Did you two hear what he said," yelled Harry, rushing to the fireplace.

"Something like Tchato dhave," said Hermione. "You don't mean to follow him, do you?"

_No, Château d'hiver, _thought Ginny, distinctively hearing Draco's words. She waited for the trio and then drank the rest of the potion and reappeared in her room at precisely the time when she left.


	5. Voldemort and Draco

**A/N: For those who read The Pendant Glows Again… Ok, so I lied. The title of the chapter is Voldemort and Draco. The chapter I promised that was going to be called Draco's New Task is going to be the next chapter. Enjoy. Oh… and Ch. 21 for The Pendant Glows Again will probably be tonight… maybe tomorrow.**

**Don't forget to review.**

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"Bring Draco to me," said Voldemort, his voice chilling.

Snape bowed and exited the room. He found Draco in his room, at a table with a book in front of him. When Snape entered, Draco immediately looked up, his face surprised, for he was never visited at this hour. He stood up and walked over to Snape, his bowed.

"His Lordship would like to see you," said Snape softly.

Draco's eyes immediately emptied. Snape didn't wait for a reply and left the room. Draco took a minute to gather his thoughts, and then headed to report to the Dark Lord.

"Your Lordship," said Draco, bowing low.

Voldemort made a sign that let Draco approach. He fixed his puissant gaze upon Draco and the other waited to be spoken to. Voldemort then switched his gaze to one of the vials. His long fingers rotated the vial until coming upon the crack. Voldemort set it down on the cherry-wood table and looked upon Draco once more. Finally he broke the silence.

"Tell me, Draco," he began his voice low and sharp, "Why this vial is cracked."

A slight frown passed over Draco's face, but he immediately dismissed it. "I am not quite sure what you are talking about, sir."

A flash went through Voldemort's eyes and a shudder spread through Draco, as he realized he angered the Dark Lord.

"I will make it easy to understand, Draco," said Voldemort menacingly, but cunningly. "What happened when you retrieved these?"

Draco answered immediately, "I ran into Harry Potter and his side-kicks sir."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed and he remained silent. Continuing to thing, the Dark Lord said, "Continue."

Draco went into detail about his encounter. After he was finished, Voldemort remained silent. He then stood up. Slowly and with superiority, he walked over to Draco. Standing in front of Draco, Voldemort memorized every detail of him. Voldemort unhurried circled Draco, until stopping again in front of him. Draco stood in place, with fright in his heart, waiting to see what was going to happen. A shudder rang through him when Voldemort spoke next.

The Dark Lord walked to his desk while saying, "How did you find living in the castle these past few days?"

"Er…" _Damn it, I stuttered…_

Voldemort turned around and sent his piercing gaze at Draco, who froze. The Dark Lord then gave a short merciless laugh. "Good, Draco. I am inclined towards honesty. There is no need to tell me of your dislike towards life, hatefulness towards your father…"

Draco frowned slightly.

Voldemort's voice turned sharp, "There is also no need to tell me of your wish to leave this premises where there is constant watch and punishment. You want to get away from my rule. You can not hide that from me, Draco…"

"My Lord," began Draco.

"Silence," said Voldemort, shutting Draco and reminding him not to interrupt. "No, I am not going to punish you… yet. You show disloyalty… but you do not realize that you have just achieved a great thing or that you have proved to be an immense help. Go to Snape and he will tell you what is going to happen to you. Your stay at Château D'Hiver is over. You may go."

Draco bowed again and left the office. The fear and uncertainty played over his face as he headed to find Snape.


	6. The Cup

**A/N: Haven't updated in the longest time. **

**Don't forget to review.**

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"Are you sure Ron?" asked Hermione.

The three were walking on an empty landscape, somewhere in Southern Chile.

"Trust me," growled the other one.

"Where exactly did the book say it was seen last?" called Harry above the fierce wind.

Ron groaned and yelled back, having that part memorized, "In the letter we found at Grimmauld, it talked about a Tom Riddle seen in Chile. That brings us here."

"What was that?" asked Hermione.

"I heard it too," said Harry, who was several feet ahead of them. "It was like a scream."

The three stopped walking and listened. The scream was repeated. They drew their wands and tried their best to track the direction of the voice on the wind. They came to the edge of the mountain and saw the origin of the voice. Harry's grip on his wand tightened as he saw Snape and Malfoy. As he was about to interpose on the seen, he was held back by Hermione who whispered, "Watch."

They heard the words clear when Snape called Malfoy a traitor. They saw a large leather case sit on the rocks several feet away from the pair.

"Accio case," whispered Harry.

The case began to move and Snape immediately saw the movement. "YOU!" he bellowed. He pointed his wand in their direction, but the trio was too fast. First, they disarmed him, then without a second thought, Harry killed him.

All sounds died except for the blaring wind. The trio stared at the limp body before a coughing brought them out of their daze. The three around and saw Draco lying on the ground. He was propped up on his elbow and coughing violently. Harry located his wand several feet away and took it. By that time, Malfoy had stopped coughing and realized that he was being watched. He looked up and his eyes narrowed as he saw the trio.

"Malfoy," sneered Harry.

"Potter," the other answered simply, with no revolt.

A silence was past between them, before started to get up slowly, keeping his eyes upon the trio. The three had their wands pointed at him, but now they tensed. As Draco stood up, the trio saw the state he was in. His dark green robes were almost in shreds and several cuts crossed his cheeks and forehead.

"Just listen," said Draco.

"Why should we?" Harry poised his wand for attack, but Hermione took a hold of his arm and lowered it a bit, whispering, "Just listen, we can always kill him."

"Very gracious on your part, Granger," said Draco, hearing her words.

She just grimaced, "Talk, it's the only thing that'll save you."

"I can help you," began Draco, choosing his words carefully.

All eyes around him narrowed.

"Why do you want to? Wouldn't your master think you a traitor?"

"There's no point in me serving him anymore. I have barely left the castle with my life…"

"Castle?" questioned Hermione.

Draco smirked and some of his old charm returned. "Yes, Granger."

"Kill him," said Ron suddenly.

All looked at him. Ron had the case opened to reveal that it was empty.

"It's a set up!" exclaimed Hermione.

"YOU BLO…" began Harry, but stopped when Draco reached out into his robe pocket and pulled out the gold cup.

"Hufflepuff's cup," said Draco, smirking.

"Give it."

"Take me to the Order."

Harry drew back, but Hermione stepped in. "Give us the cup and we'll take you."

Draco placed the cup back into his pocket and said, "No. Take me to the Order first, and then I'll give you the cup. And don't think about killing me, for then how would you know the spell to destroy it?"

Harry scowled, but then had to oblige.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everyone in the Order stared at Draco with shock and hate.

"Mr. Malfoy," said McGonagall quietly, "If what Mr. Potter says is true and your loyalties have changed, then you'll have to answer a few questions for us. Please follow me."

Draco calmly followed the witch. After making Draco hand over the cup, he had to swallow a strong brewed Viritesirum. The trio sat through the trial with distrust written all over their faces. But, after claiming that he had no loyalty to the Dark Lord and would not follow another order from that moment on, Draco was accepted by the Order of Phoenix, no matter how much the trio disagreed.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed that. The last part was a bit rushed, but it works. No idea when the next update is coming. **

**Review. **


	7. Rovina and the Raven

**A/N: Took me a while to update, but I was busy and in the past week my mom was constantly on the computer for her exams.**

**This chapter is short, I know, but you will have to deal with that. **

**EricandChristine- Um… I'm not gonna say anything about Draco…**

**superspunky7- Thank you for reviewing, and please don't hate me for too long. **

**Now, I didn't get many reviews and I know there are more readers out there so please review.**

**Please review.**

**Xxxxxx**

A month passed and luck wasn't with the trio. Signs of Voldemort were everywhere, but they were too scattered to trace. Draco now resided at Grimmauld, to the disappointment of the trio, but McGonagall insisted that he had no other place to hide. Malfoy spent his time in the library, reading.

One day, Harry thought of an idea. He flew into the library and interrupted Malfoy's calm environment. "Malfoy," he began. The other lifted his eyes and awaited the conversation. "You know where Voldemort resides and so you tell us where."

Draco shuddered at the mentioning of his master's name, and coldly replied, "And what are you planning on doing whence you find out the location? You will go there? How I understand it, you haven't found all the Horcruxes yet."

"Your point, Malfoy."

"My point is that there is no need for you to get into unnecessary danger without having more chances of victory on our side."

Pause… during which Draco realized he put himself on the same side with the Golden Trio.

"When did you care about Harry's life?" asked Ginny walking in the room.

Malfoy didn't answer and he and the redhead exchanged glares. Ron then turned to his sister.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came upon something," she answered.

"Ginny, I don't want you to take any part in this," said Harry softly.

"But I want to help you," she answered back in the same tone, making Malfoy roll his eyes. Ginny then continued. "You know the myth about Rovina and the Raven?"

"What about it?" asked Hermione, frowning slightly.

"I thought that it may not be a myth after all. So I read through copies of some documents written by the four founders when they were building Hogwarts and I think I found what the fourth Horcrux might be."

Draco sat up looking at the girl with narrowed eyes. "Your supposition is?" he questioned.

"The myth says that Rovina had a prized raven that had the knowledge of the old. Well, one day, when examining the Dark Forest, Rovina's prize bird perched upon her shoulder, some sort of cat; like a leopard; attacked her. Rovina was wounded heavily while the bird was trying to get away from the predator. Gathering her ebbing strength, Rovina was able to kill the cat. The founder herself died several days later, a month before the completion of Hogwarts, but not before skinning the animal and turning the hide into a wall-rug."

"And you think that the rug is another Horcrux?" asked Harry, doubtfully.

The trio had hesitant expressions and Malfoy was thinking deeply.

"What do you think of this, Malfoy?" question Harry.

Draco looked at him, surprised he was asked for opinion. But he could see the point, for he remembered a white pelt hanging behind Voldemort's chair in the Lord's office. But he wasn't about to give away his master's defenses. "I don't quite believe such story to be true and why would the Dark Lord pick some dead cat's suit?"

Harry stared at his enemy's face and concluded to be satisfied with that for the main time. But that didn't mean that he would throw the thought away completely.

**A/N: I told you it was short, but please review. **


	8. Trying to get Ahead

**A/N: I know I haven't reviewed forever, but here's the next chapter.**

**Trocle: We'll see…**

**superspunky7: You'll see…**

**Please review…**

…………

_So, the little Weasley might actually have something. McGonagall said there were seven Horcruxes and that with the cup they destroyed three. The diary, the ring, and the cup. That means there are four left. Potter suspects that My Lord would use an item from each founder… so the outcome is what so far?_ Draco was very confused right now. He was trying to put his thoughts at least a step ahead of the Order, but first he needed to figure out what was left and what the Trio could do next. _Hmm… the old witch said that they needed four more items, but what they were she didn't tell him. Damn it! I would actually need to do some work other than send my master a detailed report every week. _

"Malfoy, what are you doing?"

Draco scowled as Hermione interrupted his thoughts. "What does it look like I'm doing?" he barked back at her.

Hermione looked him up and down and replied in a softer voice, "It seems as if you're reading."

"Damn it, yes I'm reading and it would do well not to interrupt my thoughts," Draco replied, his voice still irritable.

"It didn't look like as if you were reading," she said.

"Then what in Merlin's name could I be doing with a book?" Draco asked skeptically.

"I don't know, but you were looking at the floor and not the book, firstly. Secondly, you were mumbling to yourself," Hermione's voice tightened.

_Damn it. _Malfoy had a tendency to start to mumble when he got too deep into thought. His father commented on it once in his childhood, but that didn't do anything useful for him. He guessed the habit still stuck. "Perhaps I had a privation to ponder upon a particular part of the piece of literature?" he questioned.

Hermione frowned from Draco's specific use of words, but nether the less understood what he meant. Had it been Ron or Harry, they would've been lost. "Oh, really? What are you reading that requires you to recollect so unreservedly?" she smirked.

Draco smirked in return. "You're good Granger. I like that. You're good. And what I was reading is none of your business. I'm going out," he said suddenly, getting up.

"Going out where?" Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Out."

"Oh, no you're not. Who knows what's out there and you are part of the Order now, so you _must_ stay under protection."

"Granger, listen," Draco stopped as he just walked past her. "How could the protection be any different _here_ as it could be _out there_?"

"There's four of us," said Hermione.

"No, mudblood," Draco said lightly. "There's three of you and one of me. Not unless counting the House Elf, there are three of you."

Without another word Draco left Grimauld.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The cold winter air pulled and pushed Draco around as best as it could, but the other one was too busy to notice. He was still concentrated on the future. He wandered far from safety and now found himself in the middle of a deserted snowy road.

"Draco."

The younger Malfoy turned to the left and saw a shadow of a man. The voice was Lupin's and the boy scowled to himself that he was found. He didn't move an inch and let be approached.

"What are you doing out here?" Lupin asked as he took Draco by the arm and began to lead him back to Grimauld.

"Getting fresh air," Draco replied tightly yanking his arm from the wizard's grip.

"Well you could open a window, though I don't think the others will look kindly upon that," Lupin replied a ghost of a smile touching his face. He let the excuse pass by for now. It was important to get Malfoy back inside under eye control. The werewolf still hadn't come to trust the sudden addition to the Order. McGonagall trusted him, but that said nothing to him. It was like Dumbledore trusted Snape and ended up getting killed by him. "You should be happy a Death Eater didn't come by. That would mean…"

"I know what it means," Draco snapped, getting tired of lectures.

"I don't think you do, Malfoy," wheeled around Lupin and came to a halt in front of Draco. "If you gave the topic of your wondering some thought then you wouldn't be wondering outside."

Draco stared at the man with hatred. "You are doing the same thing to me as you did to Black." Lupin's facial expression changed in front of Malfoy's eyes and the other smirked. "Don't think you can keep locked up while everyone else can move around as they wish. I control my own life and no one else. Not You-Know-Who. Not you. Not Potter." Draco pushed past the stunned Lupin and began to head back to Grimauld. There was no point to continue back in the same direction, but he would get free sometime this week. He had to see his master to get a few things straight. He entered Grimauld and slammed the door. He unbuttoned his clock and hung it upon the rack. At this time Lupin entered.

"You had no right to speak the way you did," he said.

Draco smirked at the man and not saying anything headed upstairs. "I warn you Draco. If you do not behave yourself in this household, then you will be…"

"What? Punished? Please," Draco said, not stopping.

Lupin scowled, but didn't press anymore. Something bad would happen if he let his anger out.

"Lupin," Harry greeted.

"Hello, Harry," the other greeted and hung his coat next to Draco's.

"What brings you here?" Harry asked, shaking hands with his old professor.

"Nothing really. I bumped into Malfoy on the here," Remus said grimly. "What is he doing out of the house?"

Harry's expressions changed and he replied, "Don't know. I was with Ron in the library while Hermione went to get us lunch. She could do nothing against the ferret's leave."

"Remus," said Ron and Hermione, both surprised by this sudden appearance.

Lupin nodded in greeting and then spoke, "Now listen all of you. I don't want Malfoy out the house. I don't care if you have to curse him, hex him, anything to keep him under you eye. Who knows where he might go?"

"Oh, relax Lupin," Hermione said trying to sound convincing. "He can't do anything. He's as weak as my mother around chocolate."

"And McGonagall trusts him," Ron said.

"Yes, that's it. McGonagall trusts him so he must be good? Dumbledore trusted Snape and now look where we stand." Lupin roared.

Silence.

"Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you like that, but I have a bad feeling about this boy."

"We know," Hermione said softly. "But there's nothing we could do about him being here right now."

**A/N: So, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed. **

**Please review.**


	9. Dear Diary

**A/N: I know, I know. I haven't updated in what?... About two months? A little more? School has been keeping me very busy. I've started my Freshmen year in High School, so it's not my fault. Well, I want you to know I'm back and I FINALLY figured out where I'm taking this story. I see about the middle of the middle… did that make sense to you? A quarter of it… So, this chapter is going to be a little different, but I hope you like it. I had to dig up a few lost things from the last year and a half, but once I found them I wrote fluently. It feels good to get off writer's block and I hope to be updating a little more often. I'm hoping to maybe get another chapter in before Thanksgiving. We'll see.**

**Now, I know there are way more of you reading this, so I want ALL of you to review. I don't care if it's just one word; I want to know what you're feeling. ESPECIALLY with these kinds of chapters. **

**Now, I really want you to tell me what you think of this chapter. I REALLY, REALLY DO. So, PLEASE review.**

**xxx**

_Dear diary,_

Pause…

_It took me a long time to muster up the courage to write in a book again and I'm sure if Ron, Harry, or Hermione knew they would once again be worried that I shall get into some sort of trouble. But I am sick of having to harbor all this emotion with no where to put it. I'm tired of being treated as a child that doesn't have the experience yet to do anything responsible. I'm tired of being excluded from the missions, the meetings, the information only because I'm younger… by what?! A YEAR!!! I don't even know what is going on in world anymore. I just found out that this one little town was taken over by Death Eaters… from half a month old Daily Prophet. They say they don't want me to get hurt, but isolating me from ALL kinds of information isn't going to preserve me, it'll actually lead to my destruction. _

_I wonder how Harry felt when we were going out… I'm sure he couldn't have seen me as a small child. I mean, what sixth year wants to date someone who is a little kid?? But, yet again, could one of the reasons be that he broke up with me because he thought me little? I'm sure we won't get back together… he will probably move on even though he did promise to come back… he'll move on and I… I still love him. Even though I still have feelings for him, I know that I NEED to move on. I wish to find a guy that will be understanding and always there for me. Nothing else matters. Just as long he understands me. But with all the things going on right now; Hogwarts closing, Voldemort's return, and everyone in constant fleeing, I don't think I'll ever find anyone that would be **the** **one**__I see everyone around me being paired off and that makes me feel as if I am some strange being that I'm not good enough or beautiful or smart enough to ever attract a guy. That's not the only problem, though. **I **don't see anyone who could be the right guy for me. It's so aggravating not knowing. I want to trust someone, but they'll just laugh at me saying, **What do you know about love?** And the constant lectures from Ron aren't helping either. 'Oh, Ginny, don't worry about anything you are too young to be worrying anything.' 'That is beyond comprehension, Ginny.' ' Go help your mother or something.' And most the time, he doesn't even know how to respond to what I'm trying to get across his thick head! Sometimes I just want all of it to end. The constant lectures, the trio's worry about everything failing and the Wizarding World to go into darkness, the reports I hear about people dying or disappearing, Ron's constant moaning about Hermione not paying attention to him, everyone ignoring me, and so on… If I was never born, I don't think anything would even change… Someone else would've been taken into the Chamber and my family wouldn't have had to worry. _

_Ronald says that I have a problem and I think I might agree with him. I feel not alone, but not wanted. All the time, I try to help and do my best at everything and what do I get in return? 'Ginny you don't do anything, but help Mum in the kitchen. Can't you be a little bit more useful?' A LITTLE BIT MORE USEFUL? I think I put more effort into caring and taking care for the group than them. Don't I deserve a break too? Everyone says I'm not happy enough and that I don't get excited anymore for every little thing. Well, if you gave me some room and ability to express my own thoughts and not jump in with your own conversation, then I probably would be more receptive._

_You know how you always see these select few in school who are depressed human beings? Those who don't do well in life? And you say to yourself, 'I'll never be like that.'? Well… here I am. I think I finally realized why everything comes to me so easily; school work, Quidditch, etc. It's because my life isn't good enough. I'm not talking about the whole Voldemort (hmm… I can write his name) rising, but the way things used to be before. I'm talking about the usual time spent in school, home for the holidays. It is the most horrible feeling to have so much love shared in your family, but yet not feel it in a good way, but yet corrosively. I put more effort into being someone else and not me. It seems I'm always trying to please someone. _

_Mum with schoolwork and house work._

_Ron with being a good little girl and not getting into trouble._

_Harry with being a good Chaser and I'm not even going to go into the whole girlfriend thing._

_Hermione with trying to be a good person._

_Mum always asks me, "Well, How're things going? Are you and your friends getting along?"_

_Hell, no we're not, it's just they don't know how I feel. I wish to tell them sometimes, put then they'll be even more worried, overprotective, and the worst thing of all they'll pity me. That's one thing I can't stand. PITY. It's pathetic. A person doesn't need mushy sympathy, they need advice and support. _

_Well, I can't just answer Mum, "Well, the trio is treating me horribly, but OH, they don't know that." Instead I always say, "Everything's fine," and then I go into the select few details about classes._

_Enough about my stupid hung up emotions. I guess I should go over what happened today. Malfoy stormed out of the house today, the git. However, I think I trust him more than anyone else. It surprised me at first, but the idea grew on me. At least he doesn't insult me… well, he doesn't speak at all to me, just glares. But I appreciate that. Did I just say I appreciate something Malfoy did? _

Pause…

_Anyway, that action was uncalled for. He should be more careful of what he does and not let his emotions take over him (ironic isn't it?). He's always been like that though. As far as I can remember, he's always been jumpy like that, if you can describe it as that. But I understand what he meant that he can't be locked up for all the time. The trio does get to leave this place and it isn't good for a person to be locked up in one place (I should know). I feel sorry for him, but I would never admit it. It would just break too many rules. Personally, I'm surprised to see that Malfoy converted at all. I've always thought of him as a daddy's boy. Someone who was too afraid to defy his parents, well… dad, I've never heard him mention his mother… let alone the Dark Lord. I wonder what made him change his mind?..._

_I can't believe how insensitive the trio is being, though. They're mad at Malfoy for doing what he did, but can't they understand or at least imagine what he's feeling. We're kept locked up here, but what is it doing to us? We're losing contact with everything real and everything connected with the world. Each day our skin becomes a shade paler (Malfoy looks like a ghost). But, I guess that's what the trio and the Order have to do to those who aren't on the other side. Lock 'em away, so they're never found. _

Shudder….

_What if I die here? And no one finds me or learns my side of the story. I'm not much of a diary person, but I think someday someone will find this interesting. That's why I'm doing this. The diary. I want the world to know my story. Not just the glamorous story of the trio that conquered Voldemort. Everyone needs to know what happened to those while the 'heroes' saved the world. _

_So those reading, don't hate me for hating life. And don't pity me, for that's the last thing I need. _

_Misunderstood,_

_Ginny Weasley _

**xxxx**

**A/N: I know it's different, but I want you to tell me what you think. **


	10. Boredom

Malfoy was at the stage of boredom that all he had left to do is circle the insides of the house from one corner to the next. He turned left towards the stairs and started heading down them. I believe it was his fifth circle that day, but it kept him busy. Every time he started a new round he had a wisp of hope that the trio would be doing something new during the time he would pass by the library. But they still sat there to their ears in books and old archives and different nonsense like that which Draco knew would get them nowhere in finding the horcruxes. He went in twice and peered over their shoulders to see what they were doing and as I said, he had walked in only twice, because the second time he was told to go find something else to do than breathe down their necks.

And here he was, continuing his pointless stroll.

The single thing of interest he did find on this excursion was that every time he completed a lap, he would find the little Weaselette doing something new. Upon the start of his sixth round, Draco found Ginny in the dinning room where she was sitting behind the big table and writing furiously. She heard his approaching step and how it stopped at the doorway of the room. Her hand slowed so her mind wouldn't be complete engrossed into her job, but so she also could keep his distance monitored.

Malfoy noticed how from the side of her eye she watched him. His curiosity turned on and with his ever so famous smirk upon his lips he began to approach Ginny. The girl stopped writing completely and watched his advance carefully. When she understood that he was soon to come into the range where he would easily see her written words, she closed the book she was writing and with slight irritation she turned in her seat to stare at him with an expression that clearly said, "And you want what?"

Draco's smirk deepened, but he stopped waling and asked in a leering sort of voice, "Well, Weasely, what are we writing?"

"We," Ginny answered, using second person about herself, "aren't writing anything that concerns us," now meaning him.

"Oh, really?" Draco asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"But that still doesn't disprove my roused interest… or a better word: curiosity." Draco was in fact curious not just because he was bored, but that did play a part, but because he never would've expect to see the little weasel writing in a book after the Riddle Diary incident.

Ginny momentarily was at a lost for retorts, for never would she think Malfoy would admit in feeling curiosity towards her job or even admit anything. Hate, yes, that would surprise her less, but interest? However, her answer sent her opponent in an equally thoughtful silence. "How is it possible that any person coming from a family such as yours can have the slightest interest in the hobby of someone so less significant than oneself?" To insult herself was permitted in Ginny's mind, but only in defense and most of the times an insult to herself proved a much bigger one to her opponent.

Draco's eyes narrowed slightly. He needed to answer right or his cover could be put under suspicion or even blown. His loyalties to the Dark Lord might not be great, but his father was a different story. Sure he hated the man, but Draco couldn't let his father figure go. He and Narcissa was all he had for a family and even though they cursed him everyday of the week, he found he preferred that to a complete ignorance from the people he was surrounded by now. He needed to have things start working for him and not have him fit into people's lives only when they thought it would be entertaining. Fury went through the young Malfoy when he realized that in order for him to have an upper hand, he would have to give up on this and maybe fake something.

After Ginny's words, Draco's face lost all emotion and he tried his best to put a slight thread of pain through his eyes. With this he said not another word and slowly backed out of the room. The smirk on Ginny's face vanished and her heart understood that she had actually hit a wrong note with him, but her head couldn't understand how a person with such character as Malfoy could let himself be influenced by such little and insignificant remark. But what had just occurred was truth and what does it mean then? That she should apologize to him? Her heart and pride argued between them as Ginny's heart said that she should go and apologize, that in this moment in time they needed each other for they were both in similar situations, but her pride said otherwise. How many times had his words brought tears to her eyes? And now, he deserved her words, which if you compare to his, were barely an insult. Ginny continued to sit in the one spot where she was, trying to decide what was right and what was easy.


End file.
